Game on! Chichester College’s new esports arena impresses students

Chichester College has unveiled a new state-of-the-art Esports arena.

It’s been funded by the Government’s Skills Development Fund and is part of the college’s commitment to being a Centre of Digital Excellence. 
 
The arena is a multi-purpose learning venue that will provide the college’s Esports students access to the best equipment and technology, providing learning opportunities that go beyond anything the college has been able to offer before.  

James, a first year Esports student at Chichester College, said: “It’s amazing. The course is really good. I didn’t really think there would be anything like this. It can take you into different avenues within the industry, as well as being a player.  

“I want to go onto university after this, I’m looking at either London or Nottingham because those are two really good universities.  

“And at the velodrome at the Olympic Park, there’s now a university that they’ve opened up called the College of Esports, which should be quite interesting. Some of the rooms look quite like this one, which is way it’s crazy seeing this here. It’s what you’d expect to see at a university!” 
 
Classmate Daisy added: “It’s very different, very nice. I didn’t know what to expect but this is a lot better than I thought. I love the desks! 
 
“I am enjoying the course. It’s very well set out and I feel like they don’t separate women and men, it’s very inclusive. It’s nice to feel included! 
 
“Esports is male-dominant, but here at Chichester everyone’s included. I’m on the Esports team and it’s not about being a woman, it’s all based on our skills.” 
 
As well as providing a stimulating learning environment, the state-of-the-art facility will also provide a competitive setting for the college’s Esports team – Chi Cobras – who broke onto the scene last year and have been proving a tough team for other colleges to beat. 
 
Matt Creed, Course Leader for Esports at Chichester College, said: “Ever since the course was set up in 2021, it’s been our aim to set up an Esports arena, although we didn’t think we’d get it quite so quickly!  
 
“We wanted the students to have this fantastic space, where they can compete, that meets industry standard, and I think that now we have that here. From custom built desks and Corsair peripherals to very high spec gaming PCs – we can now use this space to effectively compete in the British Esports Student Championships. 
 
“We currently have three teams, and they can compete in this professional space and it’s going to be very exciting to see how that’s going to progress.” 
 
Helen Loftus, Chichester College Principal, added: “Esports is one of the fastest growing industries in the country, worth millions in the UK. 
 
“It’s important that we constantly review our curriculum, reflecting the changing industries and their skills needs – that’s why we were delighted to introduce our Esports course. We want to become a leading college for Esports and now we’re proud to have a facility that matches our ambitions.”